What is Bitrate, and how does it affect video quality?

It is hard to notice, but many things happen in the background when you are watching a Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube video – and bitrate has a huge role in ensuring that the video works smoothly. If you do not understand what is a bitrate in a video and how to use it, then all the effort and hard work you put into creating videos will go to waste. Moreover, choosing the wrong bitrate can make your video look blurry and of poor quality.

In this blog, we will explain what bitrate is, what does bitrate do, types of bitrate, how it affects video quality, and how you can check the bitrate of your video and make it look professional on different devices.

Part 1: What is Bitrate In A Video?

A bitrate in a video is the amount of information or data that is used every second to play the video or audio file. You can also say that it is the amount of bits that are processed so that your video can be played smoothly without interruptions.

A higher bitrate means excellent video quality but can overload systems or require a stable connection so that it can load well. However, a low bitrate means that the visual quality and sound of the video will be poor but will load faster than a video with a high bitrate. This is why it is important to choose the right bitrate so that viewers can enjoy watching the videos without any blurriness or slow loading time.

Part 2: What Is The Difference between Audio Bitrate and Video Bitrate?

There is not much difference between audio and video bitrate, but they are used for different purposes. Here is a comparison between an audio bitrate and a video bitrate:

Part 3: What Factors Affect Audio And Video Bitrate?

An audio and video bitrate is affected by multiple factors. These factors determine the quality of the content and how much data would be used to play them. Here is a simple breakdown:

Audio Bitrate:

Video Bitrate:

Part 4: How Data Is Managed By Bitrate Encoding

When you create video content, you always have to keep the sound quality, visual quality, and file size in mind. In addition, encoding and bitrate are also a part of this process.

Encoding uses software programs like codec to compress the size of the video file so that it can be easily sent and distributed on different platforms and devices. When you use a codec to compress a file, you also have the option to adjust the bitrate of the video. The higher the bitrate of the video, the better quality, but the file size increases. If the bitrate is low, you get low resolution and poor video quality.

This is how bitrate encoding affects the quality of the video and the file size. Two types of bitrate are used in encoding that include:

• Variable Bitrate
• Constant Bitrate

Part 4.1 What Is Variable Bitrate?

The amount of data keeps changing when you use a variable bitrate during the encoding process. If a part of a video is complex, such as fast action scenes or animations, then it uses more data to keep the quality of the video high. However, if a part of a video is simple, like a quiet image, then it uses less data to process the video.

Hence, a variable bitrate gives better quality with small file sizes, but it can change depending on the frame. Moreover, it is perfect for stored videos but not suitable for live-streaming videos.

Part 4.2: What Is Constant Bitrate?

A constant bitrate remains the same throughout the video or audio file. This means that the amount of data processed every second stays the same, and you always know how much data will be used and what the size of the file will be.

This makes it easier to manage your storage space and streaming bandwidth. Apart from this, this bitrate is very useful for live streaming or online video calls.

Part 5: How Does Bitrate Affect Video Quality?

Many viewers and creators do not think about bitrate or what does bitrate do when they create content for different platforms. They also do not consider the network and data bandwidth of users worldwide. A good bitrate means a balance between the video quality and file size so that viewers can play your video without any interruptions or blurriness. However, this is how bitrate affects video quality:

• A high bitrate allows a high frame rate, which means that the more frames per second, the better quality of the video. Similarly, a high bitrate for audio files means that the sound will be more clear and detailed because of sample rate and bit depth.
• Even though a high bitrate is important for video quality, it can also mean a large file size that can affect your CPU and also make streaming difficult for users with poor internet connections. They may find it hard to download videos or have a bad viewing experience. Hence, it is necessary to choose the right bitrate for your video.

Part 6: How Is Video Bitrate Measured?

The number of bits or amount of data that is processed per second tells what the bitrate of the video or audio file will be. A bitrate is usually measured in kilobits per second (kbps), which is used for small or low-quality videos, and megabits per second (Mbps), which is used for high-quality videos like HD, full HD, and 4K.

Creators and video editors can achieve the right balance between the file size, video quality and playback performance of a video by measuring and choosing a good bitrate. Down below is a table that explains different bitrate measurements:

Part 7: How To Check Bitrate On Your Computer?

You can check the bit rate of your video on any device, whether you work on a PC or Mac. All you have to do is follow these simple steps:

Part 7.1: How To Check Bit Rate For Mac?

Follow these easy steps to check the bit rate for your video on Mac:

Step 1: Use Quicktime to open your video file on Mac. (Quick time is a media player made for Apple devices).

Step 2: To open the information box, press Command+I on your keyboard.

Step 3: You will find “Data Rate” in the properties tab.

Step 4: This will tell you the bit rate of your video and how much data has been processed per second.

Part 7.2: How To Check Bit Rate On A PC?

To check the bit rate of your video on a PC, you should follow these steps:

Step 1: Select or choose the file you want to check and right-click it.

Step 2: A menu will open. Click on “Properties”.

Step 3: Then select “Details” from the properties tab.

Step 4: Under the video section, you will see “Total Bitrate”. This will tell you how much data has been used per second.

Part 8: Conclusion

If you need to understand what is a bitrate, then this blog explains everything. It is important to understand how bitrate affects video and audio quality. Moreover, choosing the right bitrate for your video can make it look clearer and detailed. You would not want to upload content that has low video resolution and bitrate as it can leave a poor impression on the viewers.

Additionally, you should always remember the network bandwidth and data bandwidth when you are selecting a bitrate for your video. Different users can have both poor and strong internet connections, so always use a bitrate that can work for people with all types of connections. However, if you want to improve the look of your video for all platforms and devices, then you can use many online tools and software that provide an efficient way to change the bitrate of your video without compromising its quality.

Part 9: Frequently Asked Questions